WARD ON BURY POSTPONEMENT

Manager John Ward had no complaints about the decision to call off this afternoon’s match against Bury.

When the call came in to say there would be an 8.30 am pitch inspection, he made the short trip from the team hotel to Gigg Lane to see for himself how bad things were.

“I didn’t really have to go out on the pitch, as there was a great deal of surface water on it.

“Everything was done properly and correctly and the referee was right to call the game off. I had a look at the pitch with him and Bury’s assistant manager Chris Brass and, hopefully, the game was called off early enough to stop our supporters travelling.

Disappointed as we are, it’s not a decision that was totally unexpected.”

It had seemed promising on Friday, when the team travelled north as they left the wind and rain behind them.

“I think the bad weather followed us up country. As we travelled from Bristol through the Midlands it was raining heavily, but when we arrived at the team hotel it was dry and didn’t rain here until the early hours of the morning.”

The manager had taken a squad of 20 players with him for the game, which included Mark McChrystal and Danny Woodards.

“It was good to have them involved and now we will try to get a game arranged for them, and some of those who haven’t been playing regularly, early next week.”

So, instead of going in search of only their second away win of the season, Ward and his squad headed back to Bristol.

“There is a gym in the hotel but it’s extremely public and we aren’t going to get 20 players in there to work, so we’ve had breakfast and will get on the coach and travel home.

“We start again on Monday when we will be training and preparing for for next Friday’s game against Burton Albion.”